Adowescent sexuawity in de United States

According to de US Centers for Disease Controw and Prevention (CDC), in de year 2007, 35% of US high schoow students were currentwy sexuawwy active and 47.8% of US high schoow students reported having had sexuaw intercourse.[1] This percentage has decreased swightwy since 1991.[2] According to a 1994 study, every year an estimated one in four sexuawwy active teens contracts a sexuawwy transmitted infection (STI).[3]Teenage pregnancy is four times as prevawent in de United States as in de European Union, uh-hah-hah-hah.[4] However, US teen pregnancy rates have been steadiwy decwining for decades, according to de Centers for Disease Controw and were at a "record wow" as of 2012.[5]

In 1999, a Kaiser Famiwy Foundation study found dat 95% of pubwic secondary schoows offered sex education programs. More dan hawf of de schoows in de study fowwowed a comprehensive approach dat incwuded information about bof abstinence and contraception, whiwe approximatewy one dird of schoows provided students wif abstinence-onwy sex education.[6] In 2002, most Americans favored de comprehensive approach.[6] A 2000 study found dat awmost aww schoows incwuded information about HIV, de virus dat causes AIDS, in deir curricuwa.[6] There have been efforts among sociaw conservatives in de US government to wimit sex education in pubwic schoows to abstinence-onwy sex education curricuwa.[6] The effectiveness of abstinence-onwy programs has been an issue of controversy.[7][8]

Sewf-report surveys suggest dat hawf of aww 15- to 19-year-owds have had oraw sex. That percentage rises to 70% by de time dey turn 19, and eqwaw numbers of boys and girws participate.[9] Research indicating dat oraw sex is wess risky to teens' emotionaw and physicaw weww being dan vaginaw sex has been advanced;[10] researchers at de University of Cawifornia do not bewieve dis concwusion is warranted.[11] They found dat oraw sex, as weww as vaginaw sex, was associated wif negative conseqwences.[11] Of adowescents engaging in oraw sex onwy, girws were twice as wikewy as boys to report feewing bad about demsewves and nearwy dree times as wikewy to feew used.[12] Despite deir behaviors, 90% of adowescents "agree dat most young peopwe have sex before dey are reawwy ready."[13]

The average age of first sexuaw intercourse in de United States is around 18 for mawes and around 17 for femawes,[14][15] and dis has been rising in recent years.[16] For dose teens who have had sex, 70% of girws and 56% of boys said dat deir first sexuaw experience was wif a steady partner, whiwe 16% of girws and 28% of boys report wosing deir virginity to someone dey had just met or who was just a friend.[16]

Teens are using birf controw (contraceptives) more today when dey wose deir virginity dan dey did in de past, and dis is in part due to de AIDS epidemic.[16] Of sexuawwy experienced adowescents, 78% of girws and 85% of mawes used at weast one contraceptive when dey wost deir virginity.[16] A detaiwed qwawitative study of girws' woss of virginity found dat deir experiences "were awmost aww qwite negative (and, in some cases, horrific)."[17] Before age 15, "a majority of first intercourse experiences among femawes are reported to be non-vowuntary."[18]

Adowescents who are better students generawwy initiate sexuaw activity water dan dose who are poor students. In addition, among dose sevenf and eighf graders, dose wif personaw and perceived peer norms dat encourage adowescents to refrain from sex are wess wikewy to engage in it.[19]

The percentage of teenagers who report dey are currentwy sexuawwy active has been dropping since 1991.[20] By 2005, de overaww percentage of teenagers reporting dat dey were currentwy sexuawwy active was down to 33.9%.[1] A wower number of sexuawwy active teens are "qwite positive in terms of deir heawf and deir weww-being."[21]

The condom is de most popuwar form of contraception used by teenagers.[22] Among sexuawwy active 15- to 19-year-owds, from 2002 to 2010 more dan 80% of femawes and more dan 90% of mawes reported using at weast one medod of birf controw during deir wast intercourse.[16][23] In 1995, onwy 71% of girws and 82% of boys reported using contraception de wast time dey had sex.[16] In 2006–2010, one in five sexuawwy active femawe teens (20%) and one-dird of sexuawwy active mawe teens (34%) reported having used bof de condom and a hormonaw medod de wast time dey had sex.[16] Less dan 20% of girws at risk for unintended pregnancy were not using any contraceptive medod de wast time dey had sex.[16] Cawendar abstinence, or de rhydm medod, was used by 17% of femawe teens in 2006-2008.[22]

Sexuaw abstinence is de practice of refraining from some or aww aspects of sexuaw activity for medicaw, psychowogicaw, wegaw, sociaw, financiaw, phiwosophicaw, moraw or rewigious reasons. For de wast twenty years, abstinence rates among American adowescents have risen, uh-hah-hah-hah. The percentage of high schoow students in de US who reported dat dey have ever had sexuaw intercourse dropped from 54.1% in 1991 to 47.8% in 2007[1] and to 43% in 2011.[24] A cross-sectionaw survey in 1998 found dat fear of pregnancy was de most commonwy cited reason for choosing abstinence, especiawwy among girws, as weww as boys who had caused a pregnancy in de past. Oder reasons incwuded a fear of sexuawwy transmitted infections, a wack of desire, being afraid of getting caught, and de bewief dat sex was not appropriate for someone of deir age.[25]

Epidemiowogists at de Center for Disease Controw emphasize dat for sex education to be effective, it shouwd take pwace before teens become sexuawwy active.[26]

Bof adowescents who have never had sex and dose who have chosen to become abstinent after engaging in sexuaw behaviors cite de negative conseqwences of sex as reasons why dey choose not to have sex.[25] Girws of aww ages and experience wevews were more wikewy dan boys to cite de fear of pregnancy and sexuawwy transmitted diseases.[25] Virgin boys were more wikewy dan girws to say dey bewieved most students did not have sex.[25]

Boys who caused a pregnancy in de past were more dan twice as wikewy to become abstinent after dis episode dan boys who had not. However, for girws, a past pregnancy had wittwe correwation wif secondary abstinence.[25] Fear of pregnancy, wanting to wait untiw marriage, and not wanting to have sex were cited more often by virgins in de 12f grade dan dey were by 9f graders.[25] Of de sexuawwy experienced who are now practicing abstinence, girws were more wikewy dan boys to say a wack of desire, fear of STDs, being afraid of getting caught, de bewief dat sex was not appropriate for someone deir age, and dat deir parents had taught dem de advantages of waiting as reasons why dey made deir decision, uh-hah-hah-hah.[25]

Among young peopwe engaging in some form of sexuaw activity, definitions of virginity differ. Virginity is usuawwy defined as de state of a person who has never engaged in sexuaw intercourse, awdough dere are some gray areas. For exampwe, teenagers dat engage in oraw sex but not peniwe-vaginaw sex may stiww identify demsewves as virgins; dis is sometimes termed technicaw virginity. Of dose powwed, 70% of adowescents aged 11–16 bewieved oraw sex did not disqwawify someone from virginity, and 30% bewieved dey were stiww abstinent.[28][29]

Of adowescents age 11–16, 83% bewieve a person is stiww a virgin after engaging in genitaw touching, and 70% said dey bewieved one retained deir virginity after having oraw sex. Additionawwy, 16% considered demsewves virgins after anaw sex. However, 44% bewieved dat one was abstinent after genitaw touching and 33% bewieved one couwd have oraw sex and stiww remain abstinent. Of anaw and vaginaw sex, 14% bewieved one couwd engage in de former and 12% said one couwd participate in de watter whiwe stiww remaining abstinent.

Among dose 15–19 years owd, dose who remain a "technicaw virgin" are motivated more by de fear of pregnancy or STIs and wess by rewigion and morawity.[29]

The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified de sexuaw behaviors of American adowescents as a major pubwic heawf probwem.[30] The Academy is concerned about de prevawence of sexuawwy transmitted diseases in sexuawwy active teenagers and about de very high rate of teenage pregnancy in de United States compared to oder devewoped countries.

Research into adowescents' sexuaw behavior in situations outside traditionaw dating situations, commonwy referred to as "hooking up", shows dat adowescents underestimate de risk invowved in such situations.[31][32] Wif aww de issues and probwems rewating to adowescent sex, "ideawwy, dey won’t be having sex."[33]

Teen pregnancies—defined as pregnancies in women under de age of 20, regardwess of maritaw status—in de United States decreased 28% between 1990 and 2000, from 117 pregnancies per every 1,000 teens to 84 per 1,000.[3] The 2008 rate was a record wow and represented a 42% decwine from de peak rate of 117 per 1,000, which occurred in 1990.[16] From 2009 to 2010, de teen pregnancy rate dropped 9%, de biggest one year drop since de 1940s.[34]

Each year, awmost 750,000 girws aged 15–19 become pregnant. Two-dirds of aww teen pregnancies occur among de owdest teens (18–21-year-owds).[16] Of dem, 82% are unpwanned, accounting for about 20% of aww unintended pregnancies annuawwy.[16] Of pregnancies among 15–19-year-owds girws in 2008, 59% ended in birf, 26% in abortion, and de rest in miscarriage.[16] Overaww, 68 pregnancies occurred per 1,000 girws aged 15–19 in 2008. Nearwy 7% of 15–19-year-owd girws become pregnant each year. Pregnancies are much wess common among girws younger dan 15. In 2008, 6.6 pregnancies occurred per 1,000 teens aged 14 or younger. In oder words, fewer dan 1% of teens younger dan 15 become pregnant each year.[16] Stiwwborn and newborn deads are 50% higher for teen moms dan women aged 20–29, and are more wikewy to have a wow birf weight.[35]

Teenage birf rates, as opposed to pregnancies, peaked in 1991, when dere were 61.8 birds per 1,000 teens, and de rate dropped in 17 of de 19 years dat fowwowed.[34] One in four American women who had sex during deir teenage years wiww have a baby before dey are married, compared to onwy one in ten who wait untiw dey are owder.[36] Even more wiww experience a pregnancy. Of women who have sex in deir teens, nearwy 30% wiww conceive a chiwd before dey are married. Conversewy, onwy 15% of women who don't have sex in deir teens wiww become pregnant before dey are married.[36] Of aww women, 16% wiww be teen moders.[37]

According to a study, girws who participate in girws-onwy activities are far wess wikewy to experience a teenage pregnancy and wess wikewy to be sexuawwy active in generaw.[38] Participating in competitive sports has awso shown to have an effect for girws. A study pubwished in 1999 found dat femawe adowescents who participated in sports were wess wikewy dan deir non-adwetic peers to engage in sexuaw activity and/or report a pregnancy.[39] Mawes interested in arts are awso wess wikewy to be invowved in a pregnancy situation, uh-hah-hah-hah. It is uncwear wheder dese correwations are causaw or de refwection of de underwying bias of de considered popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The study dat reported dese findings did not take into account de sexuaw orientation of de subjects.[39]

A survey by de Nationaw Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found dat "7% of youf used awcohow de first time dey had sex, and 6% used awcohow de most recent time dey had sex."[40] In anoder study, teens aged 15–19 accounted for 15.5% of abortions in 2009, and patients aged 20–24 made up 32.7%. Togeder adowescents aged 15–24 made up just under hawf (48.2%) of de 784,000 abortions reported to de CDC dat year.[41]

According to one study, waws dat reqwire parentaw notification or consent before a minor can obtain an abortion "raise de cost of risky sex for teenagers."[42] The study found dat states which have enacted such waws have seen wower gonorrhea rates among teens dan states dat do not have such waws. The researchers of de study bewieve dese waws wower de gonorrhea rate because teens reduce de amount of sexuaw activity dey have and are more fastidious in deir use of birf controw.[42] On de contrary, statistics reweased from de Worwd Heawf Organization (WHO) indicate dat more restrictive waws on abortions do not necessariwy mean fewer abortions; de abortion rate one year for Latin America (where, broadwy speaking, abortions are generawwy made iwwegaw) was 32 per 1000 peopwe, whereas de abortion rate for Western Europe (where overaww de waws are more rewaxed) was 12 in 1000.[43]

Each year, between 8 and 10 miwwion American teens contract a sexuawwy transmitted infection (STI/STD),[note 1] awmost hawf of de 19 miwwion STIs reported for aww age groups in de United States.[16][44]

Lwoyd Kowbe, director of de Center for Disease Controw's Adowescent and Schoow Heawf program, cawwed de STI probwem "a serious epidemic."[45] The younger an adowescent is when dey first have any type of sexuaw rewations, incwuding oraw sex, de more wikewy dey are to get an STI.[46][47]

HPV (Human papiwwomavirus) is de most common STI among teens (as weww as aduwts).[48] In a CDC study, 18% of teen girws were infected wif HPV.[49] Anoder study found dat HPV infections account for about hawf of STIs detected among 15- to 24-year-owds each year.[16][50] Whiwe HPV infections may not cause any disease and is often asymptomatic, it can cause genitaw warts and even cancer.

After HPV, trichomoniasis and chwamydia are de most common STI diagnoses among 15- to 24-year-owds; combined, dey account for swightwy more dan one dird of diagnoses each year.[16]Genitaw herpes and gonorrhea togeder account for about 12% of diagnoses. HIV, syphiwis and hepatitis B account for wess dan 1% of diagnoses,[16] however young peopwe aged 13–24 accounted for about 21% of aww new HIV diagnoses in de United States in 2011.[16]

Researchers from de CDC have noted dat teenagers often do not understand de risks associated wif sexuaw activity. "Research suggests dat adowescents perceive fewer heawf-rewated risks for oraw sex compared wif vaginaw intercourse. However, young peopwe, particuwarwy dose who have oraw sex before deir first vaginaw intercourse, may stiww be pwacing demsewves at risk of STIs or HIV before dey are ever at risk of pregnancy."[47] "Severaw studies have documented dat oraw sex can transmit certain STIs, incwuding chwamydia, genitaw herpes, gonorrhea and syphiwis. Teenagers and young aduwts engaging in sexuaw activity are at increased risk of STIs or HIV."[47]

A 2008 study by de CDC found dat one in four teen girws, or an estimated 3 miwwion girws, has an STI.[49] The study of 838 girws who participated in a 2003–04 government heawf survey found de highest overaww prevawence among bwack girws; nearwy hawf in de study were infected. This is compared wif 20% among bof whites and Mexican-American teens.[51] The same study found dat, among dose who were infected, 15% had more dan one STI, and 20% of dose who said dey had onwy one sexuaw partner were infected.[49]

In a 2011 study by de CDC, 7.1% of femawes and 2.1% of mawes aged 15–24 were infected wif chwamydia,[52]:65 historicawwy de most prevawent of aww STIs in de generaw popuwation (after HPV).

Benefits to teen sex do exist, by extension of data on de benefits of sex: It can rewieve pain, burn cawories, rewieve stress, hewp de immune system, stimuwate de mind and mewwow one's mood. Oder heawf benefits have been observed in owder men—decreased risk of stroke and heart attack—but de same benefits have not been confirmed in teenage patients.[53]

The earwier onset of puberty can produce sexuaw drives at a time when teens are not yet fuwwy sociawized to understand de potentiaw sociaw and emotionaw conseqwences of sexuaw activities.[54][55][56][57][58] Some schowars cwaim dat de risk for depression is "cwearwy ewevated" for de sexuawwy active of eider gender.[59]

"We tend to focus on de heawf conseqwences of having sex, wike pregnancy and STIs, but we awso need to tawk to [teens] about aww de emotionaw conseqwences," some experts say.[12]

Some research suggests dat two-dirds of sexuawwy active girws wish dey had waited wonger before having sex.[60] Of seniors in high schoow, 74% of girws regret sexuaw experiences dey have had.[61]

For girws, even modest invowvement in sexuaw experimentation ewevates depression risk.[62] Sexuawwy active teenage girws are more dan twice as wikewy to suffer depression compared to dose who are not sexuawwy active.[63]

Sex derapists have found dat de roots of sexuaw issues facing aduwts often date back to regretfuw teenage experiences.[12] Research has awso found dat being abstinent in de teen years was associated wif better mentaw heawf at age 29.[64] Girws who were virgins at age 18 were awso wess wikewy to have a mentaw iwwness at age 40.[65]

Girws are "at particuwar risk for experiencing negative sociaw and emotionaw conseqwences of having any type of sex," incwuding oraw sex.[11] Girws are more dan twice as wikewy as boys to say dey fewt bad about demsewves and more dan dree times as wikewy to say dey fewt used as a resuwt of engaging in sex[12] or hookups.[12][66]

In a study of casuaw sex among adowescents, many girws bewieved dey couwd have a purewy sexuaw experience wif no emotionaw ties, and dey bewieved it was sexist to assume oderwise. However, de study found dat bof de girws and de boys who were hooking up often were depressed and didn't feew very good about demsewves.[67]

When engaging in sexuaw acts de body produces oxytocin, a chemicaw produced in de brain to promote feewings of connection and wove. Production of oxytocin increases during de adowescent years. It has a warger effect on girws, suggesting it may make dem care more about rewationships and feew connections wif oders more intensewy dan boys.[53][68]

Teen dating viowence is defined as de physicaw, sexuaw, psychowogicaw or emotionaw viowence widin a dating rewationship, as weww as stawking.[69] This incwudes ewectronic forms (e.g., dreatening text messages, excessive yewwing or cursing at someone in a phone message) as weww as face-to-face forms.[69]

Girws who have engaged in sexuaw intercourse are five times more wikewy dan deir virgin peers to be de victim of dating viowence.[70] Girws who were intentionawwy hurt by a date in de past 12 monds are at a "significantwy ewevated risk for a broad range of sexuaw heawf concerns and for pregnancy."[70] Girws who have been victims are awso twice as wikewy to report high wevews of muwtipwe sexuaw partners.[70]

Sexuaw assauwt is any invowuntary sexuaw act in which a person is dreatened, coerced, or forced to engage against deir wiww, or any sexuaw touching of a person who has not consented. This incwudes but is not wimited to rape (forcibwe sexuaw penetration), groping, forced kissing, or de torture of de victim in a sexuaw manner.[71][72] In wegaw terms, sexuaw assauwt is a statutory offense in de United States, varying widewy state-to-state.

Outside of waw, de term rape has a wess distinguished meaning and is often used interchangeabwy wif sexuaw assauwt.[73][74]

Most rape victims are in deir teens or young twenties: according to a study by de CDC and Department of Justice, 83% of rape victims interviewed were under de age of 25, and 54% were under de age of 18. 1 in 6 women had been raped in de study, and 1 in 33 men, uh-hah-hah-hah.[75] 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men who have experienced sexuaw viowence first experienced dis drough dating viowence as a teen, uh-hah-hah-hah.[76]

Sexting, de sending of sexuawwy expwicit messages and/or photographs, has become increasingwy popuwar wif adowescents. However, according to some studies, sexting can "gwamorize and normawize sex in a way dat might cause some teenagers to start having sex earwier, or in unheawdy ways."[80]

More dan one fiff of teens have sent sexuawwy suggestive text messages or nude photographs of demsewves onwine.[81] Teens who photograph or fiwm demsewves or receive photos of oders, known as sexting, can be charged wif chiwd pornography.[82] Oders who post de photos onwine couwd awso be charged wif chiwd pornography and face prison time.[83] Sexting can be considered sexuaw harassment.[80]

Sexting is winked to psychowogicaw distress among teens. Those invowved in sexting are more wikewy to report a suicide attempt, and have twice de odds of reporting depressive symptoms as students who aren't invowved in sexting. "For girws who send de sexts ... dere is a disiwwusionment and a sense of betrayaw when it's posted everywhere. When it gets forwarded to muwtipwe boys at muwtipwe schoows and awso oder girws ... a girw starts getting cawwed names and her reputation is ruined."[84]

Boys who are victims of sexuawwy predatory teenage girws can awso be devastated. Sexuawwy predatory girws wiww ask a boy, particuwarwy a sexuawwy naive boy, for photos, and "he's sort of fwattered and he feews wike a big guy and den she sends dem around."[84] Unbeknownst to dem at de time, deir compwiance can cause wasting harm.

Often girws who take racy photos of demsewves "want to be admired, want someone to want dem. A wot of dem are wonewy and starved for attention, uh-hah-hah-hah. A wot of girws bewieve dey have no choice but to pose in dis way. There are awso de driww seekers who do it because it's 'edgy and coow.'"[83]

Experts say dat sexting poses a serious probwem, partwy because teens do not understand dat de images are permanent and can be spread qwickwy. "It does not cwick dat what dey’re doing is destructive, wet awone iwwegaw."[85] "Once dey are out dere, it spreads wike a virus," powice say.[86]

Each state has its own age of consent. Currentwy, state waws designate de age of consent as 16, 17, or 18, wif more dan hawf of de states designating 16 as de age wimit. However, de five most popuwous states aww have a higher age of consent (Cawifornia: 18, Texas: 17, Fworida: 18, New York: 17 and Iwwinois: 17).

In some common waw jurisdictions, statutory rape is sexuaw activity in which one person is bewow de age reqwired to wegawwy consent to de behavior.[87] Awdough it usuawwy refers to aduwts engaging in sex wif minors under de age of consent,[87] it is a generic term, and very few jurisdictions use de actuaw term "statutory rape" in de wanguage of statutes.[88]

In statutory rape, overt force or dreat need not be present. The waws presume coercion, because a minor or mentawwy chawwenged aduwt is wegawwy incapabwe of giving consent to de act. Statutory rape waws are based on de premise dat untiw a person reaches a certain age, he or she is wegawwy incapabwe of consenting to sexuaw intercourse. Thus, even if a minor engages in sexuaw intercourse wiwwingwy, de intercourse is not consensuaw.[89]

Often, teenage coupwes engage in sexuaw conduct as part of an intimate rewationship. This may occur before eider participant has reached de age of consent, or after one has but de oder has not. In de watter case, in most jurisdictions, de person who has reached de age of consent is guiwty of statutory rape. In some jurisdictions (such as Cawifornia), if two minors have sex wif each oder, dey are bof guiwty of engaging in unwawfuw sex wif de oder person, uh-hah-hah-hah.[90][91] The act itsewf is prima facie evidence of guiwt when one participant is incapabwe of wegawwy consenting.

Some jurisdictions have passed so-cawwed "Romeo and Juwiet waws," which serve to reduce or ewiminate de penawty of de crime in cases where de coupwe's age difference is minor and de sexuaw contact wouwd not have been rape if bof partners were wegawwy abwe to give consent.

Research indicates dat sexuaw messages contained in fiwm, tewevision, and music are becoming more expwicit in diawog, wyrics, and behavior. In tewevision programming aimed at teens, more dan 90% of episodes had at weast one sexuaw reference in it wif an average of 7.9 references per hour.[95] Researchers have found a correwation between de amount of tewevision wif high sexuaw content dat teenagers watch and an increased wikewihood of dem becoming pregnant or fadering a chiwd out of wedwock, and bewieve dat reducing de amount of sexuaw content adowescents watch on tewevision couwd substantiawwy reduce de teen pregnancy rate.[96] By contrast, oder schowars have argued dat such cwaims have been premature; Steinberg and Monahan found dat media effects diminished once oder factors were controwwed.[94]

Schowarwy studies suggest dat approximatewy 15% of youf intentionawwy seek pornography in a given year.[97] Donna Freitas, audor of The End of Sex: How Hookup Cuwture is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexuawwy Unfuwfiwwed, and Confused About Intimacy, has dis to say about porn:[29]

Many boys wearn to assume dat de dings women do in porn—how dey dress and act around men—is awso how women are supposed to act in reaw wife. These same boys are wearning to expect girws deir own age to act wike de women in porn videos, too ... Sociaw media and Internet porn are infwuencing junior-high and high-schoow girws' understanding of sexiness. Girws are wearning to use porn and porn archetypes to impress boys as earwy as middwe schoow.

Bof boys and girws feew pressure from deir friends to have sex. The perception adowescents have of deir best friends' sexuaw behavior has a significant association wif deir own sex behavior.[98] Sexuawwy active peers have a negative effect on adowescent sexuaw deway; however, responsive parent-adowescent sex discussions can buffer dese effects.[99]

In a 2003 study, 89% of girws reported feewing pressured by boys to have sex, whiwe 49% of boys reported feewing pressured by girws to have sex. In contrast, 67% of boys fewt pressured by oder boys, whiwe 53% of girws fewt pressured by oder girws.[13]

Adowescents who reported sexuaw activity had high wevews of reputation-based popuwarity, but not wikeabiwity among peers; however, sex wif more partners was associated wif wower wevews of popuwarity.[98]

Two main forms of sex education are taught in American schoows: comprehensive and abstinence-onwy. Comprehensive sex education covers abstinence as a positive choice, but awso teaches about contraception use and de avoidance of STIs if de teen becomes sexuawwy active. A 2002 study conducted by de Kaiser Famiwy Foundation found dat 58% of secondary schoow principaws describe deir sex education curricuwum as comprehensive.[6] The difference between dese two approaches, and deir impact on teen behavior, remains a controversiaw subject in de United States.

There have been numerous studies on de effectiveness of bof approaches, and confwicting data on American pubwic opinion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Pubwic opinion powws conducted over de years have found dat de majority of Americans favor broader sex education programs over dose dat teach onwy abstinence, awdough abstinence educators recentwy pubwished poww data wif de totawwy opposite concwusion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[100][101][102] The poww sponsored by de Nationaw Abstinence Education Association and conducted by Zogby Internationaw found dat:[103]

When parents become aware of what abstinence education vs. comprehensive sex education actuawwy teaches, support for abstinence programs jumps from 40% to 60%, whiwe support for comprehensive programs drops from 50% to 30%. This sharp increase in support of abstinence education is seen across aww powiticaw and economic groups. The majority of parents reject de so-cawwed "comprehensive" sex education approach, which focuses on promoting and demonstrating contraceptive use. Sixty-six percent of parents dink dat de importance of de "wait to have sex" message ends up being wost when programs demonstrate and encourage de use of contraception, uh-hah-hah-hah.

...sexuaw risk-taking shouwd be considered from a dynamic rewationship perspective, rader dan sowewy from a traditionaw disease-modew perspective. Prevention programs rarewy discuss adowescents’ sociaw and emotionaw concerns regarding sex.... Discussion about potentiaw negative conseqwences, such as experiencing guiwt or feewing used by one's partner, may wead some adowescents to deway de onset of sexuaw behavior untiw dey feew more sure of de strengf of deir rewationship wif a partner and more comfortabwe wif de idea of becoming sexuawwy active. Identification of common negative sociaw and emotionaw conseqwences of having sex may awso be usefuw in screening for adowescents at risk of experiencing more-serious adverse outcomes after having sex.

Proponents of dis approach argue dat sexuaw behavior after puberty is a given, and it is derefore cruciaw to provide information about de risks and how dey can be minimized. They howd dat abstinence-onwy sex ed and conservative morawizing wiww onwy awienate students and dus weaken de message.

A report issued by de Department of Heawf and Human Services has found de "most consistent and cwear finding is dat sex education does not cause adowescents to initiate sex when dey wouwd not oderwise have done so." The same report awso found dat:[18]

Famiwy wife or sex education in de pubwic schoows, which traditionawwy has consisted wargewy of providing factuaw information at de secondary schoow wevew, is de most generaw or pervasive approach to preventing pregnancy among adowescents.... Adowescents who begin having sexuaw intercourse need to understand de importance of using an effective contraceptive every time dey have sex. This reqwires convincing sexuawwy active teens who have never used contraception to do so. In addition, sexuawwy active teens who sometimes use contraceptives need to use dem more consistentwy (every time dey have sex) and use dem correctwy.

Abstinence-onwy sex education tewws teenagers dat dey shouwd be sexuawwy abstinent untiw marriage and does not provide information about contraception, uh-hah-hah-hah. In de Kaiser study, 34% of high-schoow principaws said deir schoow's main message was abstinence-onwy. Some Christian organizations advocate abstinence-onwy sex education because it is de onwy approach dey find acceptabwe and in accordance wif deir churches' teachings.

Some organizations promote what dey consider to be "sexuaw purity", which encompasses abstaining from not onwy intercourse before marriage, but awso from sexuaw doughts, sexuaw touching, pornography, and actions dat are known to wead to sexuaw arousaw. Advocates of abstinence-onwy sex education object to comprehensive curricuwa which faiw to teach moraw behavior; dey maintain dat curricuwa shouwd promote conventionaw (or conservative) morawity as heawdy and constructive, and dat vawue-free knowwedge of de body may wead to immoraw, unheawdy and harmfuw practices.

A comprehensive review of 115 program evawuations pubwished in November 2007 by de Nationaw Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unpwanned Pregnancy found dat two-dirds of sex education programs focusing on bof abstinence and contraception had a positive effect on teen sexuaw behavior. The same study found no strong evidence dat programs dat stress abstinence as de onwy acceptabwe behavior for unmarried teens dewayed de initiation of sex, hastened de return to abstinence, or reduced de number of sexuaw partners.[108] According to de study audor:

Even dough dere does not exist strong evidence dat any particuwar abstinence program is effective at dewaying sex or reducing sexuaw behavior, one shouwd not concwude dat aww abstinence programs are ineffective. After aww, programs are diverse, fewer dan 10 rigorous studies of dese programs have been carried out, and studies of two programs have provided modestwy encouraging resuwts. In sum, studies of abstinence programs have not produced sufficient evidence to justify deir widespread dissemination, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Most teens (70%) say dey have gotten some or a wot of information about sex and sexuaw rewationships from deir parents. Oder sources of information incwude friends at 53%, schoow, awso at 53%, TV and movies at 51% and magazines at 34%. Schoow and magazines were sources of information for more girws dan boys, and teens "who were sexuawwy active were much more wikewy to say dey got information about sex from deir friends and partners."[109] Less dan hawf of parents wif daughters under 18 tawk to deir girws about how to say no to boys, and about hawf tawk to dem about contraception, uh-hah-hah-hah.[2]

Adowescents whose parents tawked to dem at a young age fewt more comfortabwe as dey grew and were more wikewy to make personaw decisions about sexuaw behavior dat refwects de parentaw vawues and moraws.[110]

Some schowars argue dat parents have a warge infwuence on how teen sexuawity is viewed in de United States, as weww as how teens view deir own sexuawity.[111] Parents' views of adowescent sexuawity vary greatwy between different countries. In de United States, teen sexuawity is generawwy viewed under de framework of "adversariaw individuawism".[111] This means dat on a broader, societaw wevew, dere is wittwe communication among individuaws as compared to oder countries such as de Nederwands where dere is more emphasis on "interdependent individuawism".[111] Schowars argue dat in de United States, dere is greater emphasis on individuaw success rader dan success of de majority.[111] This paradigm pways into adowescent sexuawity in de way dat dere is wess communication about oftentimes sensitive topics such as adowescent sexuawity.[111] Schowars argue dat dis mentawity has severaw conseqwences.[111] The negative conseqwences of adversariaw individuawism can present demsewves as impuwse-driven teenagers dat uwtimatewy reqwire more supervision dan teenagers wiving in an interdependent individuawistic society. In interdependent individuawism, teenagers are uwtimatewy more responsibwe because dey are abwe to have open discussions wif deir guardians.[111]

Studies have suggested dat faders generawwy tend to avoid sexuaw conversations wif deir chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah.[112] Many faders have uncertainties on how to start to de conversation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Oder times dey simpwy put de initiative on deir daughters to come to dem wif qwestions or issues.[113] Even when de conversation is waunched faders tend to be judgmentaw or onwy tawk about abstinence. Faders are more wikewy to forbid daughters from having sex when dey are tawking. Wiwson et aw. (2010) found dat some faders fewt dat tawking about de potentiaw conseqwences of sex was easier dan tawking about sex itsewf.[114] Faders overaww tend to appwy more orders when tawking to deir daughters dan giving dem unbiased information or simpwy wistening and trying to give dem deir best advice.

Hutchinson and Cederbaum (2011) studied fader-daughter communication and found dat increased fader-daughter communication dewayed sexuaw debut and decreased de freqwency of engagement in sexuaw intercourse.[115] They awso found dat responsibwe sexuaw behavior among adowescent femawes was associated wif positive fader-daughter communication regarding men, dating, sex, and marriage. On de oder hand, faders who were absent had been winked to higher rates of sexuaw activity and teen pregnancy among femawe adowescents.[115] Faders have a greater impact on daughters dan dey dink, but faiw to recognize it because dey don’t bewieve dey shouwd be discussing sex wif deir daughters or simpwy weave it to de moders.

Girws who participate in adwetics, artistic, or academic extracurricuwar activities are wess wikewy to be sexuawwy active dan girws who don't participate in any. Femawe adwetes have "significantwy fewer sex partners, engaged in wess freqwent intercourse ... and began having sex at a water age." For boys, dose who participate in sports are swightwy more wikewy to be sexuawwy active, and dose who are in artistic activities are considerabwy wess wikewy.[116]

Rewigious adowescents wose deir virginity dree years water dan de average American, uh-hah-hah-hah. On average, dose wif strong rewigious backgrounds become sexuawwy active at age 21.[117]

Studies have shown stressed teens and teens widout sufficient famiwiaw invowvement tend to have more sex.[118][119]

According to a study based on a sampwing of teenagers in Massachusetts, sexuaw minority youf—dat is, dose who identify as gay, wesbian, or bisexuaw or had any same-sex sexuaw contact in deir wifetimes—were significantwy more wikewy dan oder students to report wifetime sexuaw intercourse (72% vs. 44%).[120] The same study found dat sexuaw minority youf were more wikewy to report sexuaw intercourse before age 13 (18% vs. 4%), sexuaw intercourse wif four or more partners in deir wifetimes (32% vs. 11%), and recent sexuaw intercourse (55% vs. 33%). Among students in de Massachusetts study who ever had sexuaw intercourse in deir wifetimes, sexuaw minority youf were significantwy more wikewy dan oder students to report "having been or gotten someone pregnant (15% vs. 4%) and having been diagnosed wif HIV or anoder STI (10% vs. 5%)."[120][121]

^Awdough STD has been de term used de wongest (for sexuawwy transmitted disease), de preferred term now is STI, for sexuawwy transmitted infection, refwecting de fact dat it is possibwe to become infected but not dispway any symptoms